


The Places You Will Go

by lucdarling



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Kid Fic, Multi, OT5, Polyamory, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-19
Updated: 2015-02-19
Packaged: 2018-03-13 17:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3390632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucdarling/pseuds/lucdarling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis might be a single father, but he isn’t doing it alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Places You Will Go

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hybryd0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybryd0/gifts).



> This was the quickest thing I've written, and the longest work, in quite some time. I can only say the prompt was highly inspiring! I hope you like my take on it.  
> My thanks to C and C for the hand holding and proof reading, respectively. Also thank you to the mods for this exchange, I've had a lot of fun reading and an even better time participating.

“It’s not weird, raising our kids together?” Zayn asks for the hundredth time, carrying a box of what Louis hopes are heavy, heavy books. He hopes Zayn stubs his toe on them because he is so tired of answering this question.

“No, Zayn. It’s not weird, and it’s better for all the kids. Two sets of eyes on the three of them!” Louis exclaims. He knows he’s getting the better end of the deal, considering he has twin boys to look after and Zayn only has a tiny fairytale princess; he grins widely when Zayn points this out and marches back out of the house for another box. It rattles when he lifts it from the sidewalk, so Louis puts it in the kitchen and hopes it isn’t anything belonging in Zayn’s art room.

It takes them the better part of the afternoon to unpack the moving truck and sort the boxes into bedrooms. The sun is orange and hanging low in the sky by the time Doniya and Trisha are driving up with three children in the backseat, all of them near asleep.

It’s far easier to get Rabia into her princess canopy bed than it is to settle Elijah and Jonathan into one room and get them both to remain quiet. Louis stands with his ear pressed against the door, waiting until their voices die off before he heads back downstairs and sits heavily on the couch.

Zayn hands him a beer, already cracked. “Mum said there’s a reading group for their ages over at the library. It starts pretty soon after school.”

“Yeah?” Louis downs half his beer in one go. He shuffles closer to Zayn’s warmth, pressing their thighs together. It’s almost like they’re back in university, if one ignores the stuffed Peppa Pig in the corner and the overly large box that Louis knows is full to the brim with race cars and other toys his boys received for for the holidays.

“The reading circle for Nursery and Reception years is joined, they’ve only got one person to read but he’s supposed to be very good.” Zayn explains and Louis shrugs, because it doesn’t matter much to him. The classes he teaches at the secondary school will let out around the same time this reading group is halfway over.

“You get them there, I’ll pick them up?” Louis offers, like Zayn has much of a choice. His schedule as an artist is far more lax than Louis’ and they both know it.

“Finish that, and come to bed?” Zayn nods toward the beer in Louis’ hand. He sets the can down on the table and follows Zayn up the stairs, not bothering to drink the rest. They aren’t exactly dating but they’re in one bed for the time being because the house payment and raising children doesn’t leave much left over on either salary. Sometimes Louis lets himself think otherwise, but only when he’s drunk on exhaustion.

* * *

This is the fourth reading time that Louis has snuck into, and he tells himself it’s because none of the children he teaches care about actually learning the a/v equipment and not because of the fit blond he sidles up to every time he arrives early to pick up his three monsters. And it definitely isn’t because Harry, the younger man who reads to his kids about the adventures of Rainbow Fish, has a syrup slow voice and hair Louis wants to grip hard between his fingers. At least Zayn agrees on the latter point, because they’ve talked about it. Twice.

Harry is currently telling the children sitting at his feet about a man who woke up from a dream and put down his axe in the rainforest.

“And it’s very important we remember to be kind to trees, okay?” Harry’s green eyes are bright, Louis notices. The kid he’s got strapped to his chest, baby girl if the tufts of hair in purple bows are any indication, makes a sound and Louis watches as Harry’s very large hand covers her entire back and rubs soothingly.

Harry probably says some other things, because Louis distantly notes the very loud voices of the kids’ in front of him, but his eyes are watching Harry’s hand move. He’s jostled out of these thoughts by a sharp elbow to the ribs.

“Perv later, mate. Your tiny terrors are gonna kneecap you in five.” Louis blinks, hard, just in time for Elijah and Jonathan to run up and wrap around each leg. He stumbles back at the weight and it’s only the warm hand suddenly on the small of his back that prevents them all from hitting the carpeted floor.

“Hey there, nice to see you too,” Louis greets them and then turns to the man who graciously saved him. “Thanks, mate. They might have knocked me over otherwise.”

It’s the fit blond and his laugh is as bright as his hair. “I think we’ve all been there. Harry is charming on his own but if he’s got Amelia, they’re positively lethal. ‘m Niall.” He holds out a hand for Louis to shake and the calluses on his fingers are rough against Louis’ palm.

“Louis,” he answers in return, then introduces his kids. Niall crouches down to their level and shakes their hands, grinning at Jonathan’s missing tooth. Louis looks over their heads to spy Rabia on the other side of the room with a tousle headed brunette next to her, both peering at the girl child resting on Harry’s chest.

He doesn’t see this ending well and obviously Niall is of the same mind, because he rises to his feet and gently pulls them both away after exchanging a few words with Harry.

“Who’s your new friend?” Niall’s voice is loud enough that Louis can hear it over the rustle of getting Jonathan and Elijah into their winter jackets.

“Ravia!” The little girl announces, and Louis hides a grin behind a hand when she’s corrected.

“I think this belongs to you,” Niall says with an obnoxious wink when Rabia stops in front of Louis and the boys. “We should do a play date for Aisling and Miss Rabia soon, they’re clearly best friends already.”

“Yes, we are!” Niall’s little girl stamps her foot and Louis buries his laugh into Rabia’s pink coat as he zips it up to the top.

“We’re at the playground on Sunday afternoons, barring thunderstorms.” Louis says. “Gimme your hand.” He ignores the tugging on his own hand from Elijah, who clearly wants to leave the library already.

Niall holds his hand out and bursts out laughing when Louis checks his pockets, holds up a finger in the universal signal to wait, and jogs over to the circulation desk to borrow a pen. He writes his mobile number on Niall’s palm.

“Could’ve just asked for my phone,” Niall murmurs, fingers holding Louis’ hand against his.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Louis manages to respond before Jonathan is pushing at his knees and Elijah is towing him toward the door. Rabia hugs Niall’s daughter bye before she follows.

* * *

Louis shuts the car door once Jonathan is settled in and he hears the click of the seat belt buckle when he opens his own. They had all been high energy today, not helped in the least by Harry’s sing-a-long about recycling with accompanying hand movements. The car is less than five minutes from the library when a girl’s voice goes “but I thought ice cream was the other way,” and Louis absolutely does not slam on the brakes.

He pulls the car to a stop on the shoulder of the road and then turns around to look at the assembled children in the backseat. There are four, not three, because Aisling is holding fast to Rabia’s hand. She smiles bright at Louis’ widening eyes, something Louis knows she learned from her dad because Niall had done the exact same thing on their date last week after making a double entendre that left Louis choking on his mouthful of tea in the kitchen.

“Ice cream!” she chirps, and the other three follow suit loudly, kicking their feet.

“Oh my god,” Louis groans and disengages the emergency parking brake to get back to the library. He parks haphazardly by the entrance and yanks his key out of the ignition.

“You three, stay in the car. Aisling, with me. Your dad is never going to want to see me again.” Louis coaxes the girls into letting go of each other.

“You really needed another one?” and Niall doesn’t even sound upset. Louis is very surprised, because he knows he wouldn’t be handling this situation half as calmly. Of course, it’s hard to be mad when one is holding an infant in the crook of your arm like Niall is.

“I didn’t even know, I swear.” Louis shakes his head. “Then there was a clamor for sweets and a voice that didn’t belong. Not that Aisling isn’t lovely.” He lets go of his hold on her hand and she darts over to Niall, attention already taken by Amelia.

“Ah,” Harry breaks in. “That may have been my fault.” He takes Amelia back and wraps her up in the sling around his chest, leaning forward to tie it in the back.

Louis narrows his eyes.

“I told Rabia she should stick together if they were going to get ice cream together after our story hour,” Harry explains. “Friends stick together!” He smiles, dimples on display, as Aisling nods her head vigorously at the command.

“And when I was rushing around the stacks, you didn’t think to mention this to me?” Niall cries out. “You’re sleeping on your own tonight.” Harry pouts.

Louis can’t help himself from taking a step back at that, because while he knew things between him and Niall weren’t defined, he didn’t think the Irishman would be the type to be dating two at once. Clearly he had misjudged.

“I should go,” Louis excuses himself from the other two and pretends he can’t hear Niall calling his name.

He does, however, pick up his phone the fourth time Niall’s name flashes on the device. It’s after dinner and Zayn has already carted all the kids to the bath to wash off spaghetti sauce that somehow got in everyone’s hair. Louis still isn’t sure how that happened and he was at the table.

“Hi,” Louis greets him, blowing out a breath. It crackles over the phone and swallows up whatever Niall says in return.

“I think I should explain,” Niall says and Louis’ eyes roll toward the ceiling. They stay in that position as Niall says yes, he is with Harry but they have an open relationship.

“So you’ve been hoping I would join you for a threesome? You’ve been taking me out for coffee for ages.” Louis breaks in when Niall is relating how Harry had come home from the library all abuzz from Louis merely saying hi all those months ago.

“Uh,” Niall stammers and Louis can’t believe his life.

“You know I can’t exactly just leave my kids behind for a bit of slap and tickle,” Louis says. Maybe it’s a little harsh because Niall is sweet but it is the truth.

“No, we don’t want that,” and now Harry’s on the line instead. “If you’d like, you could all come over for lunch tomorrow? It’s Saturday.”

“Okay,” Louis agrees slowly.

“All of you,” Harry stresses, like Louis didn’t understand the first time.

“Yes,” Louis sighs and he can hear the water shut off upstairs. “Me and the boys will be there.”

He thinks Harry might have growled and holds the phone away from his ear to frown at it. “No,” and it’s Niall again. “You and your boys and Zayn and Rabia.”

Louis admits he’s maybe a little blindsided. “All of us.”

“All of you,” Niall confirms and Louis can tell he’s smiling. “If you want. We’d really like it if you came for lunch.”

“And you want me to tell Zayn ‘hey those two fit guys from the library are in a relationship and want both us to join them?’ Yeah, that’s going to go well.”

“Or just drag him along to lunch and we’ll explain. We really do like you, both of you.” Niall says earnestly.

“Fine,” Louis agrees and hangs up because he can hear Elijah running down the hallway and has a feeling his son is refusing to put on his pajamas for the fourth night in a row.

He slips into bed next to Zayn an hour or so later. The other man is sitting up, scrolling through what Louis suspects is the email inbox he claims not to have and checks only twice a month.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Louis tells him. Zayn looks over at him.

“You finally figured out Niall and Harry are dating?” and Louis squawks.

“How did you, why didn’t, what?” Louis settles on and grumpily cocoons himself in the duvet, yanking it away from Zayn.

“Saw both of them at the grocery last week. Sorry you and Niall didn’t work out.” Zayn rests a hand on Louis’ shoulder and squeezes gently.

“You didn’t think to tell me?” He’s only a little mad at his best friend. Louis pokes his head out. “But I think we’re still dating. They invited us for lunch tomorrow.”

Zayn’s brow furrows and Louis nods like it makes any sense. “Yep. We went from being co-parents to being wooed by other co-parents. Did you ever see this happening?”

“Huh.”

Louis can’t tell what that means and pokes Zayn’s foot with his own. “Did you?” he demands.

“No, but it could be fun,” Zayn decides and the grin he turns on Louis is happy and only a little wicked. Louis hasn’t seen it in a long time. “And Niall’s kid is a good one.”

“She crawled into the backseat because Rabia told her we were going for ice cream after the story. I didn’t promise that.” Louis says grumpily even though he already told the story over dinner.

“You gave her back,” Zayn reaches over him to turn out the light. “So they’re a little strange on the concept of partners. People probably say the same about us,” he says and Louis hums as he curls closer against Zayn’s back, tangling their feet together. It’s not weird they’re still in the same bed. It’s not. Especially since they’ve exchanged blowies.

* * *

Four months into living together - four adults and five children under seven - and Louis thinks this might be what happiness is. He still thinks back fondly on what they all refer to as The Lunch, which had involved chicken tikka masala from the place Zayn loved, the children being foisted off at their respective grandmother’s with too little notice and near enough alcohol to open their own bar.

Harry leans his head on Louis’ shoulder, jolting him out of his thoughts. “You okay?” he inquires quietly, barely heard over the din of the children on the playground a few feet away.

“Fine, love. Just thinking about how happy I am,” Louis answers and drops a kiss on Harry’s head. Of course that means Harry takes this as an invitation to nuzzle and Louis spends the next minute spitting out curls while Harry laughs at him. Amelia blows spit bubbles from the blanket at their feet and Louis bends down to make a face at her.

Then there’s a scream and shouting, interrupting their quiet moment of peace. Both men jolt upright. Harry scoops up his girl and heads toward Jonathan, who’s wailing but seems to be unharmed; Louis scans the structure for Aisling and Rabia as he kneels by Elijah. The two girls are chattering away, climbing the rope net to wait their turn on the slide.

“What’s broken?” Louis asks, running hands carefully down his son’s arms. He sniffs and lunges toward Louis, burying his head against his chest. Louis resigns the shirt to the washing pile and strokes his hair. “What happened, Elijah? Is there a reason you’re snotting all over my shirt?”

There’s another parent with a serious expression a few steps away, staring at his kid with a frown and Louis has a feeling he’s going to be meeting the man sooner rather than later.

“He kicked me,” Elijah mumbles. “I said his shirt was stupid and he kicked me.” Louis pulls Elijah away from his body to look him in the eye.

“You insulted someone and you got hurt,” Louis reiterates. “What have we said about thinking before we speak?”

“Not do it unless you know the person,” Elijah parrots and Louis can’t stop from rolling his eyes because he knows exactly who told him that.

“Niall said so, is that right?” Louis doesn’t even get the question fully out before the kid is nodding. “Right, well sometimes Niall is silly and we shouldn’t listen to him.” Louis puts on his serious face and Elijah stares, wide-eyed because Louis doesn’t use it often. “Think about what you want someone to say to you, not just what you feel. You got that, Elijah?”

“Excuse me,” the stranger Louis saw earlier interrupts. “I think my son has something to say to yours.”

“‘m sorry I kicked you.” the kid says and he’s got tears in his brown eyes like he’s done something more devastating than being a normal child.

Elijah looks to Louis for guidance. “You have something to say back, don’t you?” he prompts.

“Sorry I said your shirt was for babies.” The other boy reaches out his hand and Louis watches as Elijah takes it. The boy shakes it like they’re finishing a business deal and Louis splutters with ill-concealed laughter.

“C’mon, you have to play pirates with us.” and Aisling has come over to see what they’re doing. She grabs the strange boy’s hand, no fear, and tugs both boys away toward the slide. Louis manages to swallow his laughter in the face of the other parent’s concerned look.

“I’m Liam,” he introduces himself. “I am so sorry about Oliver, I promise he isn’t violent.”

“It’s fine,” Louis says and leans back into the arm Harry slips around his waist as he comes to stand beside him. “The kids are fine, I think we all react without thinking at that age.” 

“Harry and Louis,” Harry says and Louis realizes he forgot to give his name. Liam shakes Harry’s hand and the grip looks strong. He excuses himself a few minutes later, saying he’s got to get his son to his boxing lesson.

Louis looks at Harry as Liam collects his kid from the tangle of arms and legs at the bottom of the slide. “Boxing? The kid’s like, six. Isn’t that too young?”

“They have yoga for Rabia and Aisling,” Harry points out, like he doesn’t take both of them on Tuesday afternoon for that very thing. Louis sticks his tongue out and darts away to push their kids on the swings before Harry can retaliate. Not that he can do much with an armful of wriggly infant girl, but Louis wouldn’t put it past him.

* * *

Louis think Liam and Zayn would get along tremendously, so he’s set this not-date up. It’s just that neither of them know that. Niall and Harry already know Liam, since Louis suggested the library for Oliver and offered to take him home afterward. Liam had looked so grateful at the opportunity for an hour of adult time, Louis thought he might cry.

He stands in line to order their drinks and makes faces at Liam, who’s already seated. Liam looks exasperated but he’s laughing behind his hand, Louis is sure of it.

The drinks have just been delivered to the table when Zayn stumbles in, literally. Louis cackles loudly and waves obnoxiously when Zayn’s head whips up to glare.

“Already ordered your tea, Zaynie,” Louis smiles widely and pulls Zayn into the seat next to him. “Unfortunately, I have to run, I forgot I had a meeting at the school,” Louis keeps talking until Liam’s little frown has disappeared and Zayn has taken off his coat. Then he leaps up from the table and heads out - to take a seat at the bench around the corner.

 ** _He likes comics. His dog is named after one of those characters from the movies, the bad guy._** Louis texts Zayn. He really should know the name, but Louis is better at remembering the tiny details of Shakespeare than the plot of a science-fiction movie about alien royalty. Happily, he’s paid to know the former.

He doesn’t have to wait but a minute for a response. **_The dog’s name is Loki. I don’t need your help._**

**_Be gentle, Liam’s probably scared._ **

**_If you don’t stop texting me, I won’t tell you how it went._** and that gets Louis to at least stop giving his version of helpful advice. He has too much energy though, and throws himself into a pick-up game beyond the hill until his phone buzzes against his thigh.

 ** _You were right, he is sweet._** Louis definitely does not cheer out loud.

* * *

“You want what? Are you taking the piss?” Liam says incredulously and he’s curling into himself like a roly poly that’s been poked too much and Louis wants to hurt every single person in Liam’s life who made him feel like no one could ever want him. A quick glance at Niall’s face shows he’s on the same wavelength.

“We, the four of us,” Niall motions with his beer around the room where Louis is stretched out on the entirety of the couch, legs in Niall’s lap and Zayn and Harry are curled on the loveseat opposite Liam. “We think you would be happy with us.”

“I’m happy now,” Liam protests.

“You go to work, you pick Oliver up from reception and then you go home, maybe after the park. Sometimes there’s the cinema or boxing at the gym. That’s not much of a life,” Louis argues and Liam looks stunned they can draw a succinct picture of his life after knowing him for only a few months. “Just-” Louis doesn’t know how to finish the sentence, how to ask Liam to take a chance, to _stay_.

Harry does it better, by foregoing words entirely and leaving Zayn’s side to sit so close to Liam he’s practically in his lap. Liam flinches when Harry’s arms wrap around him but he slowly relaxes when it becomes clear the rest of them aren’t going to say a thing about the sudden closeness.

Liam leaves their house after he finishes the beer, but Louis thinks it went rather well and says as much to the other three.

“Bagsy on taking him to Marvel’s new film,” Zayn claims quickly and grins when Niall throws a pillow at his head.

“You think he likes golf?” Harry muses. “Maybe he wouldn’t be any good and would need instruction.” He moves from Liam’s previous seat to wedge himself between Niall and Louis on the couch with a filthy grin.

“I like the way you think,” Niall bumps his shoulder. “He’d catch on quicker if we were both there, you think?” He and Harry high five at this idea and Zayn tosses the pillow back at both of them.

“Well if we’re planning dates,” Louis drawls and relishes in the way they all turn to see what he comes up with. “The zoo.”

“You can’t woo someone while at the zoo,” Niall laughs.

“Watch me,” Louis glares. (It goes better than he expected. He kisses Liam for the first time when their boys are entranced by the otter feeding and it’s perfect. Louis knew it would work.)


End file.
